When the dust had settled and the smoke had cleared, the 3^rd Annual Playoff Payoff football pick’em contest sponsored by Blue Dot Services resulted in a Bridgeport sweep. And the finish proved to be easily the closest in the history of the event.

 

Bridgeport’s Kevin Carbacio was the winner with a record of 334-95 and a winning percentage of 77.86 percent, which allowed the sports enthusiast to walk away as the winner of a $500 Meadowbrook Mall gift certificate. Carbacio said he could have done better, but that he had trouble most of the year with NFL picks.

 

Carbacio just edged out Hugh Gainer. Gainer, the legendary retired Bridgeport High School state championship coach and educator, finished at 325-96 for a 77.2 winning percentage. Gainer, who said he likes to sit down and review the pick with a copy of Wally & Wimpy’s Magazine, was the two-time defending champions and narrowly missed winning it for a third time. Gainer won a two-night stay at the Stonewall Jackson Resort in Lewis County for his efforts.

 

Bridgeport resident Michael Mann actually had more wins that both Carbacio and Gainer, but he also had more losses. Because of that, he narrowly missed finishing even higher. His 328-97 mark left him with a winning percentage of 77.16 percent. Mann’s finish allowed him to receive a $75 gift card from Mia Margherita, a $50 gift card from The Wonder Bar and four movie passes to Cinemark at the Meadowbrook Mall.

 

More than 250 individuals participated in the biggest field to date. Connect-Bridgeport.com would like to thank all those that took part and to thank Blue Dot Services for their sponsorship. Also, Connect-Bridgeport would like to offer a big thank you to The Mountaineer Grille and Mountaineer World for supplying weekly gift certificates.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo, from left, is of Greater Bridgeport Convention and Visitor's Bureau Executive Director Michelle Duez, Hugh Gainer, Kevin Carbacio and Connect-Bridgeport's Jeff Toquinto. Bottom photo is of Michael Mann and Duez.